Senator Mike Sonko Endorses And Praises Hon Raila Odinga

Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko in a public speech praised Hon Raila Odinga for his fight against corruption and public looting by government officials.

Mike Sonko, who is a vocal supporter of the Jubilee government made the rare remarks that have since gone viral across YouTube.

In the speech, Sonko praises Raila saying that he has never had Raila insult the president. This comes after the likes of Moses Kuria have persistently insulted Raila even threatening to sue Raila over his comments on demanding accountability from the government on behalf of the Kenyan people.

Sonko went ahead to say that through Raila’s pressure, officials who have been behind these mega corruption schemes have been arrested a testimony to the good work Hon Raila is doing.Raila has been summoned to appear before the commission tasked with investigating the Eurobond scandal. It is not yet clear if he will honor the summons. It has been alleged that the timing may collide with several commitments Hon Raila has for tomorrow.

He however said will make a decision on whether to honor the summons or not. Raila said that his decision will be based on the best interests of Kenyans.

VIP flight attendant: a dream job or a Pandora’s box?

  Being a flight attendant is a dream job for many, but being a VIP flight attendant is close to a pure fantasy even for all those already in the business. They fly less hours, visit the most amazing places on earth and, according to the Daily Mail, earn from 2 to 8 times more than their commercial counterparts. However, great rewards come with unprecedented responsibility and the so called Bond-style life, where the phone ringing in the middle of the night is just another call to mission.

According wikiHow, becoming a corporate flight attendant is easy. You just have to follow 4 simple steps – have a passport (not a step, really), undergo training, apply for a job and show up for an interview. However, in order to learn how to do this job properly and to understand the executive clients you would be working for, you need to obtain far more knowledge and experience than the one provided during this 4 step program. Whilst scrolling through various VIP attendant job ads, it seems that fluency in languages, training and experience are all equally important for the role. Nevertheless, the truly crucial traits are versatility, knowledge and just shier devotion of a person.

“Almost everything this industry covers has to be flexible and flight attendants are no exception. The ability to take care of safety and understand your in-flight operational responsibilities is just a tip of the iceberg,” says Vitalij Kapitonov, the CEO of KlasJet. “On top of the commonly known duties, an attendant must maintain awareness of all passengers’ food allergies as well as dietary restrictions and preferences. Moreover, the skills of a PA come in handy when you have to arrange, for instance, a frozen butterball turkey, no smaller than 33lbs, in a few-hour notice (real story, by the way). It might come as a surprise, but food is where the attendants’ know-how is most valuable for every employer.”

First off, the person must be skillful in culinary arts. After all, not only is he or she responsible for serving Michelin star plates, but also commonly in charge of finding, arranging and transporting food to the take-off airport. Such skills as the one of a sommelier are also highly appreciated in the industry. Apart from that, VIP crew must be acquainted with food safety and correct food handling techniques. No travellers, including CEOs, multibillionaires or pop stars, want to get sick because their beluga caviar wasn’t opened or stored the right way.

So the road to becoming a VIP flight attendant could be basically summed up in three words – learn, learn and learn. And if you work hard enough you are more than likely to get a call from a private jet operator offering you your fantasy spot. And you’ll be in for a treat. Having adjusted to the 24 hour notices, you’ll meet and chat with the brightest and the best as well as have the chance to literally see the world and your name on a $120 000 yearly paycheck.

Without a doubt, aside from the culinary education, industry-specific training also plays a big role in a flight attendant’s working in business aviation life. According to the KlasJet executive, almost all of the companies require candidates to have CPR, AED and first aid, in-flight cabin service, food catering, and FACTS Training. However, the main criteria remain the know-how and the ability to be flexible and organized. “In general, companies with extensive experience in the field offer the greatest conditions, however, that means you also have to be the best candidate,” concludes Vitalij Kapitonov, CEO of KlasJet.

Source and image: KlasJet

U.S. challenges China at WTO over aircraft tax policy

 The United States has launched dispute settlement proceedings at the World Trade Organization by requesting consultations with China over its different tax policy on foreign aircraft versus planes produced in China, a top U.S. trade official said Tuesday.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that China imposes a 17 percent value-added tax (VAT) on imported aircraft generally weighing under 25 metric tons while exempting such aircraft made in China from the tax.

The Chinese government has also failed to publish its tax exemptions for domestically produced aircraft, he added.

"Transparency of laws and regulations impacting trade is a core WTO commitment that China must uphold, just as it expects other countries to do," Froman said. "For these reasons, the United States is filing a trade enforcement case to hold China accountable."

Consultations are the first step in the WTO dispute settlement process. If the United States and China are not able to reach a mutually agreed solution through consultations, the United States may request that the WTO establish a dispute settlement panel to examine the matter.

In a briefing with reporters, U.S. trade officials said the United States exported about half a billion U.S. dollars' worth of small- to mid-sized aircraft to China in the past three years, and they see China's newly self-developed regional jet ARJ21 as a competitor against U.S. aircraft in the future.

The USTR's request came as U.S. House and Senate lawmakers are nearing an agreement on a trade customs and enforcement bill, which would help strengthen U.S. trade enforcement.

The House and Senate have passed different versions of the customs and enforcement bill, but have yet to reconcile their differences to pass a final measure.

"The case is an important confirmation that enforcement matters. At the same time, I will continue working through the customs conference committee to give USTR even more enforcement tools," said Dave Reichert, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly urged the United States to abide by its commitment against trade protectionism and work together with China and other members of the international community to maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.

Source and image: English News

Pilot killed in plane crash North of Council Bluffs

 The pilot of a single-engine plane was killed when his aircraft crashed in the median of Interstate 29 north of Council Bluffs on December 10.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said, ""Right now we have one deceased."

The Sheriff said the pilot left Eppley Airfield around noon. Moments later he radioed back saying he was experiencing problems with the plane. He requested permission to return to the airport. According to witness reports the plane then clipped a power line and crashed.

The plane went down near mile marker 58 east of Eppley Airfield and north of downtown Council Bluffs.

Darrell Wade was traveling along I-29 just before the plane went down. He told us, "I looked at the other two guys in the truck with me and said, 'Oh crap, he's gonna crash."

Wade said, "We were heading south on Interstate 29. Plane was flying on the other side, following the railroad tracks. Cut a hard right. Landing gear dropped. Clipped one of the power lines. Cartwheeled and landed face-first in the dirt."

Wade said, "When his landing gear came down I knew that he was having some kind of mechanical issue, obviously." He said he saw no fire but the wreckage was surrounded by fuel.

He told us he checked the pilot - the lone person on board and said, "No response. No pulse."

Traffic was interrupted after the crash but was moving again by 1 p.m.

Air New Zealand installs futuristic bag drops

 Air New Zealand is claiming another world first with its new electronic bag drops at Auckland International Airport.

The national carrier said checking-in would be faster with the new bag drops which featured "world-first biometric technology".

The technology was similar to that used by SmartGates, where passengers scan their passports and boarding passes to have their identities verified by a biometric camera.

Once identification has been confirmed passengers weigh their bags which are then processed through the airline's baggage handling system.

Five bag drops have been installed at Auckland Airport with eight more being installed in early 2016.

In November Air New Zealand claimed another first by introducing monitoring bracelets for minors, called Airbands.

The wristband is embedded with a chip which is scanned at stages of the journey, triggering text notifications to be sent to up to five nominated contacts.

Source and image: Lenta.ru

Russia’s Transaero plans to come back in 2016

 In October 2016, AeroTime was pretty sure it is not yet a goodbye for Russia's second largest airline. Now, the founders of Transaero announced their plans to create a new airline, employing the rest of existing staff (over 200 people).

Read more: Known facts about Transaero and its bankruptcy to date

The news come from sources in an international aviation holding company engaged in airport construction holding, working on the development of the Moscow‘s fourth airport – Ramenskoye International. Russian newspaper ‘Izvestia’ claims that, according to the sources, Mikhail Prokhorov might finance the revival of Transaero scheduled for 2016.

It is expected that the name of the new company will most likely include the word "Transaero" and is planning to begin flights the first half of 2016. The flights will be carried out from Ramenskoye airport, which belongs to the state corporation Rostec and is scheduled to open in summer 2016.

The fleet of the newly established carrier will include from 7 to 9 aircraft, previously used by Transaero. The fleet can be expected to consist of 5-6 Boeing 737 and 2 or three Boeing 767 2-3 planes. The sources told that the new carrier will try to return some routes previously operated by Transaero. Most of them were lately re-distributed to Aeroflot, the state-run giant and largest rival of Transaero.

The total amount of Transaero‘s debt is around 260 billion rubles. A number of Transaero creditors is now trying to bankrupt the company. In particular, the claim on company's bankruptcy was filled in the by Sberbank and Alfa-Bank.

Ramenskoye International will be the fourth airport of the Moscow Aviation Hub which is currently being developed by Ramport aero group under the collaboration of Rostec and Avia Solutions Group. While operating the longest runway (5.5 km) in Europe, the airport will act as a major center of experimental, governmental and civil aviation.

Avia Solutions Group invested 1 billion RUB (over USD 30 million) into the Ramport share capital and control up to 75% of the newly established company stocks. The Russian industrial giant Rostec will contribute to the project by bringing in the land and real estate currently under its ownership in the territory of Ramenskoye aerodrome. In seven years’ time the total investment into the development of the fourth airport in Moscow is expected to top USD 236 million.

Star Alliance is set to expand its network under 'hybrid' model

Star Alliance is set to expand its network reach with the launch of its Connecting Partner Model. Under this new concept, routes operated by “low-cost” and “hybrid” airlineswill be able to connect to the Alliance network. This will allow customers of Star Alliance member carriers to select from an even wider choice of destinations and flights.

“With this innovative concept, we are breaking new ground. We see a definite trend of convergence between the ‘traditional full service’ and ‘low-cost’ business models in the airline industry,” said Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance. “At the same time, our customers are telling us that they need access to markets where we do not yet provide ideal coverage. In many cases network carriers are not in a position to fill this gap and hence working with future Connecting Partners will allow us to provide an extended network to our travellers.”

Connecting Partners will be carefully assessed for their fit into the existing Star Alliance network. While these selected airlines need to comply and adhere to the high operating standard required by the Alliance, they will not become a member of the Alliance itself.

Customers travelling on an itinerary which includes a transfer between a Star Alliance member airline and a Connecting Partner will be offered Alliance benefits such as passenger and baggage through check-in. Moreover, Star Alliance Gold Card holders will enjoy a tailored set of privileges in line with the different product offerings of the individual Connecting Partner.

Connecting Partners will enter into bilateral commercial agreements with selected Star Alliance member airlines, which may include additional Frequent Flyer Programme based privileges.

Innovative and multi-award winning South African low-cost airline Mango has been selected as the first airline with which Star Alliance will be implementing the new concept.

“We are delighted to be working with Mango as we marry traditional and low-cost or hybrid airlines for the first time in our Alliance’s history. The airline’s innovative and progressive style makes it an ideal candidate for launching our new Connecting Partner concept. We aim to have first customers using this new offer as of the third quarter of 2016,” adds Schwab.

Mango’s first flight took to the skies on November 15th, 2006. Since then, the airline has grown its fleet from four to 10Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operating between South Africa’s key domestic points as well as between Johannesburg and Zanzibar. The carrier remains the only African airline to offer on-board Wi-Fi. In addition, Mango has been recognised for its Customer Service Excellence by various awards, including the World Travel Awards and Skytrax.

“Innovation and a relentless pursuit of excellence are the cornerstones of Mango and fundamental to our culture as a business,” says Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout. Mango celebrates a decade in aviation next year and the carrier has recently become the largest low-cost airline in South Africa by passenger volume. “Participation in the development of, and ultimately becoming the launch Star Alliance Connecting Partner airline, wedges-in with our medium to long term business objectives,” he added.

Bezuidenhout said that while the Connecting Partner product flies in the face of convention, the common ground for the concept relates directly to the bottom line. “Becoming a Connecting Partner will give any low-cost or hybrid airline a competitive advantage that immediately grows market share while creating greater choice for travellers,” he said.